Did I make a mistake?

[fes_alum]

I've been reading some of the various threads and noticed that a lot of people are applying to numerous PhD programs (some up to 15 different schools/programs). I was always told that a PhD is like a marriage and to make it work, it's important to find the right school/program and more importantly, the right advisor.

I've spent the last year communicating with potential advisors and even visited a couple schools to meet with them. In the end, I decided to apply to only one program because I feel it's the "best fit" for me and the program/adivsor can best support my research.

Did I make a mistake by only applying to one school? Should I have applied to more than one school even though the other programs were probably not best fit for me? Does anyone have any experience with choosing a program or advisor that wasn't a good fit for them?

And for those of you who applied to numerous programs, do you think you'll be happy with your second or third choice school if you don't get accepted into your first choice school?

Thanks for reading and I look forward to your response!

[PrescribedBurn]

Hi fes_alum,

I applied to 11 schools, carefully chosen such that I would be quite happy to attend any of them. Sure, there are some that I like better than others, and I probably could have removed a couple, but most of them I am very excited about. I'm actually sad that I'll only get to attend one, because I've talked to a lot of really cool potential advisors. Part of it is because my area of interest is not exceedingly specific and I have a couple of different though related research areas I would like to explore. If there really is only one person in the country doing the work you want to do, then you're right, you shouldn't go elsewhere. But for me, and for most people, that is not the case. You want a good fit, but there's more than one good fit, and the common strategy is to choose a bunch of schools that seem like good fits, apply, and then choose the best fit one of where you get in based on visits/interviews.

Getting into grad school is tough, and by only applying to the perfect school you run the risk that you won't get in anywhere. Just because you think the school is perfect for you doesn't mean you're perfect for them. You probably have a great chance since you are a great fit and have made that known, but there are no guarantees- lots of great fits apply. If you truly only want to attend that school, then you didn't make a mistake. But if it doesn't work out, you may want to broaden your net a bit next year.

Edited January 16, 2012 by PrescribedBurn

[virion]

And for those of you who applied to numerous programs, do you think you'll be happy with your second or third choice school if you don't get accepted into your first choice school?

Absolutely. The 4th or 5th even. For those who only get into their 7th or 8th choices, there may be some amount of "settling" for a safer school. Or maybe that just means the program is nearly as good a fit, but the location is less than ideal. Things are complicated by the fact that some of us don't necessarily know which school we'll choose until after interviews are over, despite having a good idea of things on paper.

Applying to one school certainly is daring. But if you're not completely opposed to waiting/working another year before grad school, I don't see it as a problem (many of us are trying to make sure we get through this in one push...). If you get in you'll have saved a lot of time and hassle and money. If you don't, you've got a year to formulate a new plan and look into different programs.

Good luck!

[Pitangus]

I applied to three programs and for awhile considered only applying to one.

I think you could be ok provided your "fit" goes beyond just having matching research interests with your potential advisor(s); that is, you have visited the school / program (which it seems you have), have a potential advisor supporting your application (not just one who told you they will be looking for new students), and ideally have gotten to know some of the graduate students as well. Other connections with the program, either through previous research/work experience or LOR writers, may also be helpful.

Finally, to be blunt, you need to be honest with yourself both about the strength of your application and the competitiveness of the program. For example, I wouldn't have applied to just Princeton EEB, no matter how good the fit or how amazing my application. The program is just too small and the school too prestigious to be confident about admissions.

I'm also assuming the school you've picked provides good financial support, since stipend often plays a role in the decision-making process for people with multiple acceptances.

In the end, you only need one, so I personally don't think it's a mistake to pursue one program if you are able to cultivate a relationship with the program beforehand and honestly don't want to go anywhere else. Good luck!

[greenertea]

I applied to 9 schools, all sort of broad programs in the molecular bio/cell bio/biochemistry/biomedical fields. It was very hard to narrow it down to just 9, honestly, and it took me months of research before making a decision. I did not go into it without thought.

It seems to me people who apply to evolution/ecology/environmental/field research type programs apply to fewer programs. I'm not in this field so obviously I don't know, but it seems like they expect you to create contacts with potential advisors beforehand in order to be admitted. Given this takes a lot of time and you can only contact so many professors, it seems like this would be a big limitation and I wouldn't apply to so many schools if I had done this. For my field, it seems this is not the expectation. I was invited for interview for all of the schools I applied to and did not send out any emails nor did I mention professors in my personal statement. I think the people who applied to upwards of 15 schools are likely in my field.

But in general, I don't feel like I made a bad decision applying to the schools I did. I've gone to two interviews so far and I can see myself going to both of these schools. I wouldn't say I have a number one school in mind, but maybe a top 5 for which I have no particular order. The last school I went to had an acceptance rate of 50% POST interview, so if I had applied to that one school, I'd be breaking a sweat right now. Everyone at the interview was a strong candidate and the program is large enough that I'm sure everyone there could find an advisor that they like.

If you have a very specialized field of research that you're absolutely sure you MUST go into and there is only one school on the planet that is good at it PLUS you are a very strong applicant, then I can see the logic in applying to only one school. However, I think most applicants are more flexible in their interests and for biomed type research, you will likely need to change fields anyway after graduation in order to get postdoctoral funding. 15 programs is a bit overkill as there's only so many interview weekends and you're bound to run into conflicts. My 9 may have been too much as I've had to turn down a school already because of a conflict, but again I genuinely like all the programs and researched their faculty pretty thoroughly. But whatever works for you and if you get into a program you end up liking, you've no reason to regret anything.

Edited January 24, 2012 by greenertea

[OldDome]

There's also other factors that can go into the decision how many schools to apply to.

When I was interviewing there was a guy who was interviewing at 10 schools because the person he was actually married to was trying to get into graduate school too, so they needed to end up at the same school or at least the same city. He was a biologist and she was an opera singer!

[coonskee]

I want updates on fes_alum's story! Have you gotten word back? I hope you got in!

[fes_alum]

I want updates on fes_alum's story! Have you gotten word back? I hope you got in!

Coonskee-

I am interviewing this weekend and will receive a final decision one to two weeks after my interview. I am feeling pretty confident that I am a good match for the program and my POI. However, departmental funding and politics will play a role in the admission decisions. Check back for another update in two to three weeks!

~fes_alum

[Pitangus]

Yes, it seems that the departmental funding situation can interfere and potentially shut out well-qualified applicants, no matter how hard the applicants tried to connect with their lab(s) of choice.

But I think you'll be in a good position if your POI is able and eager to take you. Especially if this POI has a grant and can create an RA position for you if the normal funding resources from the department (TA, fellowships) are not immediately available.

Hope it works out for you.

[fes_alum]

Well, it looks like I didn't make a mistake after all. I received my acceptance this morning!

[coonskee]

Wheeee congrats! I'm very happy for you!

[emmm]

Congratulations! I applied to only one school a number of years ago (too large a number). For financial reasons, it was the only viable options at the time. That worked out fine, but if it hadn't, I would have figured out something else to do (as I'm sure you would have also). There's not much point in following what everyone else is doing if it doesn't make sense for you and your situation. Good luck in grad school!

[AUG]

This is my first post but I made the same mistake and I'm being waitlisted.

Part of my motivation for applying to one school is the family. I will not move my family away from their schools and work for my own goals. If I don't get in this year, I'll reapply (anticipating a slight increase in GPA and had another paper published last week and I will re-take the GRE.)